Internal combustion engines include pistons that travel within a cylinder. A combustible mixture of fuel and air enters the cylinder through an intake valve provided in a cylinder head. The piston moves toward the cylinder head compressing the combustible mixture. A spark ignites the combustible mixture causing the piston to travel along the cylinder away from the cylinder head imparting a force to a crankshaft. The crankshaft transmits an output to, for example, a vehicle drivetrain. The piston again travels toward the cylinder head driving exhaust gases through an exhaust valve.
Opening and closing of the intake valve and exhaust valve is controlled by a camshaft. Lifters travel along lobes of the camshaft imparting a reciprocating motion to respective ones of the intake valve and the exhaust valve. Generally, the lifters urge push rods into contact with rockers. The rockers selectively open and close respective ones of the intake valve and exhaust valve. In certain cases, the lifter includes rollers that ride on the lobes of the camshaft. The lifters are held in place by lifter guides that establish a desired orientation of the rollers relative to the lobes of the camshaft. The lifter guides also aid in assembly of the internal combustion engine.
Presently, the lifter guides are held in place in the engine block using one or more mechanical fasteners. In certain cases, the mechanical fasteners are held in place on the lifter guide by retaining fingers. The mechanical fasteners are tightened during assembly. The use of mechanical fasteners increases an overall cost of the lifter guide as well as adds increased time and complexity to an overall process for manufacturing an internal combustion engine. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a lifter guide that may be installed without the need for mechanical fasteners.